A major diplomatic dispute has erupted between Israel and Brazil after Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva compared Israel’s military actions in Gaza to the Holocaust, drawing swift and fierce condemnation from Israeli leaders.
The controversy began on Sunday when Lula, speaking to reporters at the African Union summit in Ethiopia, stated that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip and to the Palestinian people hasn’t been seen in any other moment in history. Actually, it did when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted Lula’s remarks as “shameful and grave,” saying they “trivialized the Holocaust” and “crossed a red line.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz escalated tensions further by declaring Lula persona non grata in Israel until he apologizes. Katz summoned Brazil’s ambassador for a reprimand at the National Holocaust Museum, stating: “The things that Lula said when he compared the righteous war of the State of Israel against Hamas…and Hitler and the Nazis is shameful and unacceptable.”
Brazil swiftly retaliated by recalling its ambassador from Israel for consultations and summoning the Israeli ambassador over the “seriousness” of Israel’s reaction.
The war of words stems from the ongoing violent conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. On October 7, Hamas launched surprise attacks in Israel, killing around 1,200 people. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have left over 29,000 Palestinians dead.
While Lula had initially condemned Hamas’s attack as “terrorist,” he has grown increasingly critical of Israel’s response, now comparing it to the Nazis’ attempted extermination of Jews in the Holocaust.
Israeli leaders maintain their actions are purely defensive against Hamas aggression. But Lula stated: “It’s not a war between soldiers against soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children.”
With neither side backing down from their stance, the verbal skirmish has plunged Brazilian-Israeli relations into uncharted waters. Katz insisted Lula will remain unwelcome in Israel without an apology. Meanwhile, Brazil shows no signs of retracting Lula’s controversial statements.
As tensions boil, the diplomatic fallout could negatively impact bilateral ties in trade, security cooperation and other areas. The situation remains volatile, with global implications.
All eyes are now on whether cooler heads can prevail to pull Brazilian-Israeli relations back from the brink. But for now, the harsh rhetoric and recriminations from both sides continue unabated.